Fabric Hair Extensions

ABSTRACT

A hair accessory designed to augment apparent hair length and thickness. The accessory is crafted from a rectangular piece of fabric, two ornamental beads, and a circular elastic band. The beads/elastic component of the accessory are mounted near the edge along one of the lenghts of the fabric. They are either slid through a small loop installed on the fabric or the elastic containing the beads is sewn directly to one edge of the fabric. The elastic and beads wrap around the hair at the base of the neck and the two hemispheres of the fabric are blended with the hair into a cornrow. The cornrow is blended to the desired length and the bottom end is secured with a circular elastic band commonly used for tying pony tails. In a variation of the aforementioned accessory the two beads are mounted on a circular elastic band which is threaded through a seam sewn along one of the width dimensions of the rectangular fabric. The second embodiment is also intended to be wrapped around a pony tail gathered at the base of the neck by means of its beads/elastic component. Wrapping the beads and elastic around the hair would also cause the rectangular fabric to wrap around the hair as it flows over it.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fabric based hair accessories specifically fabric, elastic, and beads hair accessories that can be blended into cornrows or wrapped around pony tails.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Numerous hair accessories have been innovated to meet women's want for attractive, thicker, longer hair. The hair accessories industry generally leans toward innovating wefts and hair extensions fabricated either form human or synthetic hair. However this accessories are expensive to purchase, difficult and expensive to mount on a wearer's head, semi-permanent and in need of regular visits to a hair stylist for removal and reattachment. Such products are also damaging to the wearers natural hair. The aforementioned extensions are good for making a vanity statement but unfit as a potential canvass for delivering a socio-political message. In attempts to meet women's inclination towards artistic or political expression the fashion industry has focused on innovating hair clips, barrettes, etc. with inscriptions or exchangeable attachments that allowed for greater expressivity (e.g. hair clips inscribed with your favorite sports team logo.) A variation of detachable adornments, such as hair clips equipped with variable removable and exchangeable attachments is another way the industry has innovated in order to meet the desire for decoration and expression. However these types of hair accessories do nothing to alter the apparent length or thickness of the natural hair. The current innovation sets out to overcome all aforementioned short comings and provides the individual with a quick, inexpensive method for altering the perception of hair length and thickness. Moreover the present accessory will also provide an excellent canvas for speech or artistic expression.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present innovation includes a rectangular piece of fabric whose length is significantly greater that it's width. A loop is mounted midway along one of the length dimensions of the rectangular piece of fabric. A circular piece of elastic is threaded through the loop. Such elastic comprises one or preferentially two ornamental beads or buttons. Such beads or buttons contain a loop, hook or hole which enables the beads or buttons to be strung onto the circular piece of elastic prior to “sewing” the ends of the elastic in a shut circle. In use, the elastic is wrapped around a pony tail at the base of the neck and secured by passing the elastic loop protruding from under one of the beads over the second bead. The rectangular piece of fabric to which the elastic and beads are attached is blended with two out of three hair partitionings into a cornrow. The lower boundary of the cornrow is secured with an ordinary elastic band.

In a second embodiment of the invention the elastic is threaded through a seam sewn along one of the width dimensions of the rectangular fabric. As in the first embodiment two beads are strung onto the circular elastic at opposite ends of the seam. The fabric and elastic are wrapped around a pony tail gathered at the base of the neck. After wrapping the elastic and beads around the hair, the elastic loop under one bead it are passed over the second bead. This secures the hair accessory around the pony tail gathered at the base of the neck causing its fabric component to drape around and over the pony tail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1) Rectangular piece of fabric with loop mounted midway along one of its length dimensions and example of political statements.

FIG. 2) Elastic with bead strewn onto it.

FIG. 3) Elastic and bead threaded through loop on fabric.

FIG. 4) Complete contraption according to the first embodiment. BLEND IN FABRIC HAIR EXTENSIONS.

FIG. 5) Present accessory slid under pony tail.

FIG. 6) Hair and fabric partitioning for blending into cornrows.

FIG. 7) Fabric of second embodiment and seam sewn along it's width.

FIG. 8) Fabric, elastic and beads with the elastic prepared to be secured in a closed loop.

FIG. 9) Present second embodiment (shorter than the length of the hair) to be wrapped around a pony tail.

FIG. 10) Present second embodiment (exceeding the length of the hair) wrapped around a pony tail at the base of the neck. WRAP AROUND FABRIC HAIR EXTENSIONS.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Blend in Fabric Hair Extensions

A seam is sewn along the edges of a rectangular piece of fabric (see 10 FIG. 1) as necessary to prevent potential freighting. The fabric is divided into two hemispheres (Right 10A and Left 10B) along its length (FIG. 1.) A small loop i.e. 12 FIG. 1 is mounted midway along one of the lengths of the fabric. The upper end of the loop see (12A FIG. 1) is sewn to the edge of the fabric and the lower end of the loop (12B FIG. 1) is sewn slightly below the upper longitudinal edge of the fabric. The attachment of the loop reinforces the division of the fabric into a Right and Left hemisphere. As installed in the present embodiment, the loop is designed to provide a small gap through which the two ends of a piece of elastic may be passed. FIG. 2 illustrates the elastic 21 (A and B) onto which a bead 20 is suspended by means of a hole in the bead 23 FIG. 2. The bead may also be equipped with a hook instead of a whole in order to be mounted on the elastic. FIG. 3 shows a piece of elastic 21 (A and B) with the mounted bead 20, inserted through the loop 12 of the fabric component 10. A bead is shown in this example but an ornamental button or a similar device may also be used for the intended purpose of the accessory.

FIG. 4). After inserting the elastic 21 through the loop 12, a second bead 20B is strung along the elastic and the elastic is closed shut as shown in FIG. 4. The elastic can be closed by various methods including sewing its ends (21A and B FIG. 2) shut, or clamping it's ends together with a ring (see 24 FIG. 4.) The ring 24 can be made of any material compositions fit for permanently securing the two ends of the elastic (21A and B FIG. 2) into a closed circle.

FIG. 5) In use, the hair accessory is employed by sliding the elastic and beads under a pony tail 60 gathered at the base of the neck. Bead 20A with its elastic attachment would be visible on the right hand side of the gathered pony tail and bead 20B would be visible on the left hand side of the pony tail as illustrated in FIG. 5 (drawings not to scale.) The fabric component of the accessory would be divided from under the pony tail in the same manner. The right hemisphere (see 10A FIG. 5) of the fabric would be visible on the right hand side of the pony tail and the left hemisphere of the fabric (10B FIG. 5) would be on the left hand side of the pony tail. If the wearer is right handed then “she” would secure the accessory under the pony tail using the left hand. While the left hand is used to secure the pony tail and immobilize the left bead (20B FIG. 5) the right hand is used to pass the right bead (20A FIG. 5) to the left, over the pony tail and then under and around it as many times as necessary to tightly secure the accessory around the pony tail. Once desired tightness is achieved the two branches of the elastic loop 21 securing the right bead (20A) are pulled apart from each other and the loop is passed over the left bead (20B) and released. Once this task is accomplished the pony tail is tightly secured by the beads and elastic components of the accessory and the right and left fabric hemispheres are hanging down the shoulders. At this point the wearer will partition the pony tail (60 FIG. 5) in 3 parts (60A, 60B, 60C in FIG. 6). The left hand partition (60 B FIG. 6) is held together with the left fabric hemisphere (10B FIG. 6) while the right hand partition of the hair (60A FIG. 6) is held together with the right fabric hemisphere i.e. 10A FIG. 6. The middle partition (60C FIG. 6) of the hair is allowed to hang loose without a fabric allocation. The wearer proceeds to blend the three partitions into one corn row. At this point it is up to the wearer how far down the back to blend the accessory. The fewer the number of blends the greater the appeal of the product as it allows for more fabric to float freely and more of the potential advertisement, design or political message printed on it can be seen. Finally the bottom portion of the blended cornrow is bound with a regular elastic band or any other type of device that could prevent the blended cornrow from coming undone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SECOND EMBODIMENT Wrap Around Fabric Hair Extensions

FIG. 7 shows a rectangular piece of fabric (see 70 FIG. 7) that has a wide seam sewn along the upper edge of the fabric (71 FIG. 7) A minor seam is sewn along the other three edges 72,73,74 if necessary, in order to prevent the material from freighting.

FIG. 8) A stretch of elastic bent in half (21A and B) with a bead 20A mounted on the elastic is threaded through the wider seam 71 until the ends of the elastic come out on the other side of the seam. After being threaded through the major seam of the fabric a second bead 20B is strung unto the elastic and the two ends of the elastic are sewn, glued, or affixed in a shut circular loop by whatever means available in the industry.

FIG. 9 shows the second embodiment of the accessory 70 slid beneath the pony tail 60 at the base of the neck. While the wearer holds one bead and pony tail with one hand (e.g. hold left bead 20B with left hand if you are right handed) the other hand is used to slide the right hand bead (20A) over the pony tail and then under the pony tail and out to the other side. This process is repeated as many times as necessary to tightly secure the pony tail. Once desired tightness has been achieved the elastic loop protruding from under one of the beads 20 A in this case, is opened and passed over the other bead in order to lock the accessory into place.

FIG. 10 show a pony tail with the fabric accessory 70 wrapped around it. In FIG. 10 the length of the fabric exceeds the length of the pony tail so that only the fabric accessory is visible from the neck down.

Many different variations are possible on the presented fabric extensions. There are many contraptions on the market for securing hair into a pony tail or pony tail like manner that can be fitted with fabric and engineered to partially or completely cover the pony tail. At the same time, the BLEND IN FABRIC EXTENSIONS can also be fitted on many different types of pony tail securing devices. More over it is possible for the BLEND IN FABRIC EXTENSIONS to be appended with a third, or even more wings (hemispheres.) Also, either of the presented fabric hair extensions would be functional if only one instead of two beads are installed on the elastic. Installing more than two beads would be unnecessary but equivalent in function. Furthermore, the fabric 10, presented in FIG. 1 can be printed with various messages and blended into a hair cornrow without the attachment of the beads and elastic. Any of the aforementioned variations would not depart from the spirit of the current innovation. 

I claim:
 1. I claim a fabric hair accessory designed to augment the apparent length and thickness of a bundle of human hair blended into a corn row. Such accessory comprising two beads or buttons, an elastic loop commonly used for securing pony tails in the arts of hair accessories, and a rectangular stretch of fabric attached to the elastic.
 2. The contraption of claim 1 where the rectangular piece of fabric is detachably attached to the elastic band by means of a snap, hook, Velcro etc.
 3. The contraption of claim 1 where such canvas piece of fabric is permanently attached to an elastic band commonly used in the arts of securing pony tails by insertion of the elastic through a loop sewn onto the fabric.
 4. The contraption of claim 1 where the fabric component is permanently attached to a circular piece of elastic by sewing the fabric to the elastic band at a single point.
 5. The contraption of claims 1 through 4 where two beads are strewn onto the elastic, one on each side of the point of attachment of the elastic to the fabric.
 6. The contraption of claims 1 through 5 where the elastic is attached roughly midway between longitudinal terminals of the rectangular piece of fabric.
 7. The hair accessory of claim 1 through 6 where such hair accessory is a billboard for carrying a social, economic, political, design, advertisement, affiliation or propaganda message.
 8. A hair accessory used to augment the apparent length or thickness of a pony tail comprising a rectangular stretch of fabric, a circular piece of elastic commonly used in the arts for tying pony tails, and two beads or ornamental buttons.
 9. The hair accessory of claim 8 where such circular elastic band is threaded through a seam sewn along one of the edges of the fabric and the beads/ornamental buttons protrude out from the ends of the seam.
 10. The hair accessory of claims 8 and 9 in which the ornamental fabric wraps around the pony tail along with the elastic/beads component and covers the entire length of the pony tail or a fraction of the length of the pony tail.
 11. The hair accessory of claims 8 through 10 where such hair accessory is a billboard for carrying a social, economic, political, design, advertisement, affiliation or propaganda message. 